Love Remains
by miss.chaotic
Summary: How long had it been now? She wondered but mentally slapped herself. She knew the answer. She knew it too well and it was hanging dry in the back of her throat. Four years.
1. Chapter 1

**Love Remains**

Chapter One

(I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.)

* * *

Sakura, now the age of twenty-two, had developed into a remarkable young woman. It was very noticeable as she sat patiently at her office desk, clad in a traditional white lab coat over her favorite red halter top and a comfortable pair of khaki pants. She strived for five and a half years to get where she was now in the medical field and was quiet reasonably known as one of the best surgeons in Japan.

Her hand was busy jotting down words with the occasional 'Sakura Haruno' signature on her paper work. It had been fourteen hours now and all the pinkette wanted to do was go home and sleep. She allowed her forest green eyes to close for a few moments, leaned back in her chair, which was growing slightly uncomfortable with the amount of time she had spent in it, and brush her hand through her long, wavy hair.

Naruto had called her earlier that day and invited her to join him and Hinata and a few of their other friends out on the town but Sakura was just not feeling up to it. Half an hour later, too much had weighed on her mind and she decided it was time to call it a day. She did a quick file of the majority of her paper work, grabbed her keys, and locked her office door behind her as she left.

As Sakura walked down the long corridor halls, she said a few parting goodbyes to her co-workers, dropped off her reports to the front desk that was located on her floor and finally made her way to the elevator. She allowed herself to let out a sigh once in and opened her phone.

**New text message:**

'See you tonight. No butts about it!'

_Oh Naruto. You never change! _Sakura laughed lightly at the knuckle-head and then hit reply. _It wouldn't hurt to stop by for a few moments; after all, tomorrow is my day off._

The elevator doors opened to reveal the hospital lobby. "Have a great night Sakura-Chan!" The brunette receptionist waved her hand and Sakura returned with a nod of her head. "See you Monday, Shizune." Sakura had finally exited the hospital and made her way to her silver Honda Civic and pulled off her medical coat. She casually slung it in the back seat and then hoped in the driver's seat. Not but a few seconds later and she was pulling out of the parking lot and towards the club where her friends awaited her.

**o0o0o**

As she entered through the doors, she scanned the area for her ecstatic blonde friend and his white-eyed girlfriend. She clearly heard his drunken voice above the crowd and slowly made her way to the large round table they were seated at.

"Sakura! Glad you could, uh, glad of you to, uh?" Naruto slurred out as he wrapped an arm around Hinata and laughed.

"We are glad for you to come." Hinata finished her boyfriends' unfinished sentence in a meek voice.

Hinata had made an exceptional change since her and Naruto had started dating. She grew out her hair, changed her wardrobe even and found a bit more confidence in herself. Sakura had noticed the small, but life altering changes in her petite friend and was proud of her.

"I probably won't stay long. I had a rather long day at the office." She laughed a bit and sat down next to Hinata. "Say. Where is everyone else?" Sakura noticed the numerous empty glasses behind and wondered where her other childhood friends had wandered off to.

"Well you know Ino. Probably, well, she is out on the dance floor somewhere or another. I think?" Naruto tapped his chin in thought then shrugged with and abnormally loud laugh. "Waitor-es! Another round over here!" He was waving his arms like mad in the air to get the waitresses attention and Sakura and Hinata both shielded their heads.

"Ah Naruto, that's so rude!" Sakura swatted his arm and turned her attention back to Hinata. "He has over done himself once more!" She shook her head with a smile.

"I know. I hate when he drinks this much, but at least it's not an often occurrence. Besides, how could I possibly tell him no." She laughed along with Sakura and then pointed to the dance floor. "There's Ino now."

And sure enough, there was the platinum blonde, dancing and grinding on Kiba Inuzuka, her man of the hour. She always dressed in a skimpy outfit but she always seemed to pull it off one way or another and actually make it look amazing. _Just like her. She can where a trash bag and make it look like it was designed by Miuccia Prada herself. _Ino seemed to have spotted Sakura as well and waved madly at her then nodded her head to the very man she was grinding on. "He's a keeper!" She mouthed and went back to dancing.

"Ino and Kiba? Never would have guessed!" Sakura said with a small laugh and looked back at Hinata. "So that explains Ino. What about Shikamaru and Chouji?"

"Oh I know where Chouji is! I'm going to join him at the bar! Food sounds great right about now!" Naruto exclaimed with a cheesy grin. After a quick peck on the lips to his girlfriend, he stumbled his way to the bar. Surprisingly, not a drop was spilt of his drink.

Hinata flushed at the sudden affection in public and turned back to Sakura. "Even after two years he can still regress me back to a blushing school girl." Hinata seemed to be so in thought about her Naruto that Sakura had to snap her fingers to get the Hyuuga to focus on what they were previously talking about. "Shika should be somewhere near the entrance... waiting for... Temari..."

It was certain that the dark headed female had choked out the words, but Sakura wished in all the worlds that she hadn't said the blondes' name in the first place. Don't get her wrong. Sakura loved Temari and Kankuro both, but where ever they were, meant that Gaara wasn't too far behind.

Sakura slid her phone down into her purse then slung it over her shoulder.

"It was great to talk with you Hinata, but it's getting kind of late." Sakura hugged her friend and gave a sheepish yet polite smile. "Call me sometime next week and we will surely spend some more time together!" After a few more parting words later, and a promise to meet up, Hinata rose from her seat to go find Naruto and Sakura was making mad dash to the to the doors she had entered through.

She had indeed spotted Shikamaru with his fiancé, Temari. Not soon after, she passed Kankuro making his way to the dance floor. It didn't seem that he had noticed her thank Kami. Probably too determined to find which girl he will score with tonight. Sakura laughed a bit to herself and then her frown reappeared. If only she could make it out without running into the red-headed male.

Once outside and finally in her car, she let out a shaky breath and grimaced to herself. So this is why Naruto invited her out. He, no doubt, knew Gaara would be visiting. Sakura started her ole civic up and sped off towards home.

**o0o0o**

Viridian colored eyes followed the pinkette as she quickly made her way to the exit. It seemed as though she had heard that he and his family had arrived and was making her escape. He was all in all thankful that someone had told her, but at the same time, his heart clenched as her form vanished out the club doors.

Gaara ignored the stabbing pain of watching her leave, as he had done for four years now, and crossed the club, following Naruto's obnoxious voice.

* * *

My first chapter! Enjoy!

always:


	2. Chapter 2

**Love Remains**

Chapter Two

(I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.)

* * *

Sun light filtered through her bedroom and burned her eye lids. Sakura groaned at the intrusion of unwanted light and covered her head with her comforter. She had gotten in at a decent hour, but she was up the majority of the night due to all the thoughts flooding her mind; much like every other night. It was normal to her by now.

Work was always at the tip of her mind. What paper work she needed to fill out and file; which patient she had on her surgery list and also the ones she was tending to after the surgery; her upcoming test in medicine. It would be a breeze, but she always stressed to excel in her tests and work to make the highest score possible.

But the one box of thoughts she had crammed at the back of her mind was growing in size and all at once opened on her with the events of last night. The dusty old box named Gaara. Just a single thought of him made her eyes prickle and had her tossing and turning in her bed for the millionth time.

How long had it been now? She wondered but mentally slapped herself because she knew the answer. She knew it too well and it was hanging dry in the back of her throat. Four years. Why all the sudden does he decides to show his face. His pain-staking handsome face, graced with his deep, wonderful sea foam colored eyes and his... Stop! Stop it right now!

Sakura flung herself out of bed, grabbed an outfit from her drawers and stomped her way to the bathroom. She wasted no time and made sure her shower was quick as to not fall into thinking again and to not reopen that box.

Fifteen minutes later and she was looking herself over in the body length mirror. She had noticed now just what she picked out and she was rather happy about it. It was simple, yet, that was just the way she liked it: a pair of comfortable jeans and a plain white tee shirt. Sakura put her hair up into a messy bun, a few strands of her bangs falling down to frame her face and put on a few sprits of her favorite perfume.

She wasn't entirely positive what she was going to do today, but one thing was certain, she had to get out of the house.

**o0o0o**

"Temari!" Kankuro yelled out as he rummaged through the cabinets of their hotel the best he could with one hand while the other was held to his head. "Where the hell is the Tylenol?"

"In my purse!" She hollered from the upstairs bathroom as she was placing her hair wavy blonde hair in its signature pigtails.

Kankuro sighed then set to mumbling another string of profanities as he stumbled around looking for her purse. Temari had finally finished her up-do, grabbed her shoes and proceeded down the stairs. Turning the corner to the living room, she spotted her brunette brother empting the contents of her vibrant red Dolce and Gabbana purse. Upon reflex, she chunked one of her sandals and hit him square in the temple. "What are you doing you little twit!" She yelled, nearly busting a vein.

Kankuro, now sprawled across the floor, moaned in pain giving her the best glare he could manage in his predicament. "And what was the reason for that!" He barked as he sat up, hand still holding his head, only this time, it was from the ache of the alcohol. "You said it was in your purse!"

"I did, but I didn't give you permission to stick your dirty paws in my beautiful, might I add expensive, purse! And I certainly didn't tell you to dump everything out either!" After her rant, she merely picked up her shoe and made her way to the couch. "Where is Gaara at anyway? I figured he would be yelling for us to keep it down right about now." She sighed, buckled her left sandal, and looked up at Kankuro. "Well?" Her patience was wearing thin.

Kankuro leaned out of the fridge with a jug of orange juice and shrugged. "He told me not to wait up, so I didn't." Groaning once more, he grabbed the bottle of Tylenol and bounded up the stairs.

"You idiot!" She growled and raced up the stairs after him, her shoe ready to be launched again. "Get back down there and clean up that mess you made of my poor purse!"

**o0o0o**

It had been one long night for the ambling red head. The longest he had had in a while. Sakura plagued his every thought, up until the point he had passed out on a local park bench due to too much alcohol. Gaara wasn't much of a drinker. In fact, he resented it, but it was all he could do to drown out her lush lips and those burning green eyes.

Along the way back to the shabby hotel that he and his siblings were acquiring, he had to make a few stops to spill his gut of the booze and whatever bar food he had eaten while at the club. His throat burned in a sickly manner from his stomach acid, his body ached from sleeping on the hard bench and his hair was more disheveled than usual. All in all, he was nothing but a damned wreck. This is exactly what he wanted.

He wished he could vomit his lungs out right about now. Anything would be better than the quilt and pain that was boiling in the pit of his heart.

Gaara stumbled into the hotel room and took note that it was extremely quiet. Not that he minded, but when you have a brother and sister like he had, it was odd to find the place undisturbed and silent. He figured Temari was out with Shikamaru, but where was Kankuro?

He heard the slight buzz of the cheap television set in the living room and moved awkwardly about to go shut it off. His head was pounding so hard that pin falling on the ground could make him cringe. He had finally shut it off and as he turned around, he found where his brother was; sleeping on the couch with a bottle of Tylenol and an empty jug of orange juice. Gaara grabbed the bottle of medication and then headed to his room, his being the only one on the first floor. Once he had taken the medicine and gotten settled in, he crawled into his bed and everything went black.

* * *

I would like to thank my few, but very welcomed reviewers. You are what keep me going! :D

always:


	3. Chapter 3

**Love Remains**

Chapter Three

(I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.)

* * *

It was pleasantly warm that afternoon, and almost everyone seemed to be bumbling down the streets with their family and friends. The sun was high but the clouds kept a fair amount of shade here and there. While birds were singing and children were laughing, one noise stood above the crowd if you stopped to listen. Sakura was absent mindedly dragging her feet, which was causing an odd scuffing sound on the pavement of the sidewalk. The noise hadn't crossed her ears quiet yet though as she made her way to the down town shops. She wasn't much for shopping or even looking, but the aroma of the different smells and foods along with the outrageous prices of the clothing and accessories that caught her forest green eyes, took her mind off everything else.

It had actually been quite a while since she treated herself to a 'Sakura-day-out' so one outfit and a nice meal wouldn't hurt. She did have a hefty sum stored in the bank after all her long hours working and working and well... working.

It seemed as though that was all she ever did anymore.

She passed shop by shop, letting her eyes wander over the mannequins and their snazzy outfits; outfits that always seemed to look better on display than on her. Finally deciding she would actually go in to the next shop, she let out a sigh and entered a well known clothing store and almost immediately wished she would have just kept on walking.

The four well done pony tails bouncing upon a blondes head was unmistakable. She seemed to be ranting to a fellow shopper about an overpriced item and hadn't noticed Sakura enter. Turning sharp on her heels, she thought now was a good of time as any to make her escape, but fate was not on her side.

"Sakura! Is that you?" Temari had spotted her the moment the bell rang to let clerks know of an entering/exiting personal.

_Don't turn around. Go straight home_, were the thoughts currently evading Sakura's mind, but she turned around with a small smile adorning her face.

"Unfortunately..." She whispered under her breath as the loud female bounded toward her.

"What am I saying? Of course it's you! Who else do I know that has pink hair?" The two laughed at that and Temari met her over half with a huge hug. "I missed you girl!"

Sakura returned the hug and her heart felt slightly lighter than it previously had. "I missed you as well." And the words were truthful. She had missed her blonde friend more than she realized.

"Let's go get a Caramel Macchiato and have us a chat. What do you say?" Temari begged her with pleading eyes.

"O...okay..." Sakura said hesitantly and then shrugged off her bad feelings of seeing her best friend's hot headed brother, and she wasn't speaking of Kankuro. Gaara was not to ruin her day off and certainly not her first time shopping in a long time. "The usual place?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I wouldn't want to go anywhere else!" The rowdy blonde grabbed her by the hand and basically dragged her down the street.

**o0o0o**

Gaara gave a strange kind of groan that was something between protesting of having to wake up, but aggravated for not waking up sooner. He sat up in his bed and blinked his sea foam eyes a few times. It was usually dark in his room, with the dark curtains covering his windows, but it was even more so with his eyes so clouded over due to the events of last night. At least he slept well.

He always slept well when he dreamt of her. Sakura was just as mesmerizing in his dreams as she had been to him the last moment he saw her. But just as the dream would start to feel like reality to him, it would take a sudden turn for the worst and he was forced into a nightmare. This was about the time he forced himself to wake. The good to bad scenarios only took him back to the past where he crushed everything there was of he and Sakura.

It had been the day after he proposed to her that he all but told her to leave and it tormented him every breathing moment of his life.

Looking at his clock, he sighed and swung his legs over to the edge of the bed to stand.

**4:33 p.m.**

He knew he had to have gotten home pretty early this morning to have slept this late in the afternoon. Shrugging it off he stumbled to his dresser, occasionally kicking dirty clothes out of his way or tripping over books, and grabbed a pair of clothes that he hoped were clean. Rubbing his eyes once more to help clear the sleep, he headed to the shower. A long hot shower was in order.

**o0o0o**

"I had never seen Shika so pissed in all these years of us being together. It was rather comical!" Temari exclaimed with a slap her to knee. Another loud ring of laughter filled the small coffee shop and Sakura just knew they were on the verge of being tossed out.

"Oh, how I wish I could have been there. Who would have guessed that ole slob had moves!" Sakura was just as equally loud as her friend, but quite frankly, she didn't care. It had been far too long since she had even remotely socialized with anyone and Temari had been her devoted loyal friend all through her grade school and high school years and then several years after that. The two had been inseparable up until four years ago when her life suddenly shattered.

"Speaking of my fiancé. He does have a small business get together tonight." Thankfully, Temari had snapped Sakura from her thoughts before they could even begin. "You should come. It will be like the good old times."

Shikamaru was the CEO for some high classed intelligence company and these businesses "get-togethers" weren't small at all, weren't uncommon and definitely were _very_ formal.

"Uh... I don't know Temi. I haven't anything to wear and plus I have this thing to do... at some point..." Sakura was never good at making excuses and well Temari, was pretty pushy.

As she predicted, the blonde gave her a sly smile and grabbed her by the hand. "You're coming. And we are going shopping!" Without another word to be said, Temari paid the bill and was once again, dragging poor Sakura down the street.

**o0o0o**

He was clad in the outfit he had blindly chosen and was slightly surprised that it was clean, and even matched.

A simple black form-fitting tee shirt and a pair of blue jeans.

_My sister must have done some laundry while I was out. _He thought as he made his way down the short staircase and to the living room. He was heading to fetch his shoes when his eyes caught a white envelope lying in the center of the coffee table that was placed in front of the sofa. It was addressed to him oddly enough and Gaara tore it open as neatly as he could and let his eyes scan over the contents inside.

After a few moments, he registered it as an invitation from Shikamaru. _Another business thing it seemed._ Ripping the letter in half, he threw it back on the table._ I think I have much better things to do with my life._ Let his features deepen with a frown; he slipped on his shoes, grabbed his keys and jacket and headed out the door.

* * *

Chapter three! Thanks everyone! I shall have the next one up shortly!

always:


	4. Chapter 4

**Love Remains**

Chapter Four

(I don't own Naruto or any of it's characters.)

* * *

It had been quite a few hours since Gaara had left the hotel earlier that afternoon and the sun was definitely getting ready to disappear beneath the horizon as magenta purples and the afterglow of orange were fading into a deep blue. Surprisingly, it was much clearer tonight than it had been the past couple of days he had been there. The stars were shining bright and the crescent moon was casting a faint shade of clear white over the area.

He was heading home from the bar where he stopped to have a couple drinks of scotch as he absent mindedly watched the football game that was on that seemed to have drawn a rather large crowd. The large group of fans grew louder with each and every drink they had and was the main reason he was on his way back to his room. He didn't work well with crowds, especially drunken crowds.

Gaara was much more than thankful to be sober enough to walk home other than pass out somewhere random again. The locals didn't like the fact that he had fallen asleep in the park and he wasn't about to relive that experience. Upon entering the house, he could clearly hear his siblings conversing as they rambled around upstairs. Temari was going on about the business party tonight with Shikamaru and Kankuro was grunting out a reply here and there, obviously uninterested about Shikamaru's success, but mostly on which eyes catching outfit he were to wear tonight in order to scam on some easy women.

He figured it would be best to tune them out and go to his bedroom and lay down until the bars cleared of the football crazed crowd, but as he was about to step on the first stair, his sister had mentioned a name.

"Oh! Sakura and I met up with each other today! It was just like the good ole days and it doesn't seem as though she hasn't changed a bit!" Temari exclaimed as she dug through her closest for something formal and classy.

"Ah! Is that so? She still single?" Kankuro was now focused on the new topic with a feral grin. He had thought Sakura was very appealing the moment he laid eyes on her and now with Gaara out of the way, he may have a chance. The brunette set to finding something that Sakura might find sexy.

Gaara's face grew red hot with anger and his hands tightened into fist, but he forced himself to remain planted at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well, she didn't say for sure, but she did say she would have a date for tonight." The blond shrugged a she pulled out a strapless, midnight blue, mermaid taffeta dress [photo located on profile]. "Perfect!" She grinned with satisfaction as she eyed the dress up and down as she held it in front of her. Temari laid it down on her bed and clapped her hands with joy. "Maybe Sakura has finally moved on, you know!"

"Man! I was hoping to get lucky with that little vixen!" He sighed and stomped sluggishly to the bathroom, but as he passed by his sister's room, he was greeted by one of her silver high heels.

The two were about to engage in a heated conversation of angered retorts about the said topic and the shoe imprint on his cheek when the slamming of the door downstairs stopped them in their tracks. Temari's face of pure disgust of her brother's words had turned into confidence as her famous sly smile slide over her lips. She threw the other shoe on her bed next to her dress and skipped past Kankuro to the bathroom. "I think it worked!" He smiled turned into a full blown grin and she slammed the bathroom door shut.

"I think so as well, but did you really have to hit me!"

**o0o0o**

_Laughter filled her small house as they lay on her living room floor, speaking softly to one another. The red headed male laying at her side ran his long fingers through her silken hair and he leaned down to kiss her passionately. Sakura heated with the kiss. His lips were soft and the two worked well with each other as the kiss progressed, but before it could go on any longer, Gaara pulled away and tucked a few strands behind her ear. _

_"Can I ask you something?" His voice was so deep and calming that it had her heart pounding with anticipation of what he would say next. Nodding, she gave him a warm smile. _

_"Anything." She felt him shuffle a bit as he sat up. He seemed to be reaching into his pocket but it was so quick of an action that she had focused back on his face as he pulled her to sit as well. Gaara was shaking somewhat and she watched as he swallowed hard. His nervousness was making her nervous too, but it was rather a pleasant feeling. He pulled out small velvet covered box and she nearly burst into tears at what she thought could be happening at this moment. _

_"Sakura. I love you more than the air I breathe. Without you, I just wouldn't know what to do. Will you please, do me the honor of becoming my wife? My everything?" He was shaking more than before and his eyes bore into hers. Not being able to keep it in any longer, she threw herself at him, tears flowing freely now. _

_"Yes Gaara! Yes!" Not saying another word, he picked her up with ease and carried her up stairs to their bedroom._

_**ooo**_

Sakura blinked her eyes as she woke and turned quickly to look to her side. It was just a dream... Somehow it felt so different, so real. She had been having a dream very much similar, but it always descended into a horrible nightmare and had her ripping from her sleep with sorrowful tears covering her face and sobs racking her body. This time, it was almost magical, but was an exact replica of how that day had played out. It was almost as though she had gone back in time. Shaking her head, Sakura gave a shaky breath and got to her feet. The dream was definitely bothering her, but instead of an uneasy feeling filled with pain, she felt oddly pleasant.

The hot shower had felt amazing on her tense muscles and she wished she could have stayed in there for another hour, but the clock was ticking and she had barely an hour before she was expected to arrive at the occasion. She fixed her hair in a messy bun, with strands of curls framing her face. Her makeup was light, but complimented her look because she hardly ever wore the stuff. Eye liner, a small dab of blush, and a pink shade of lip gloss. Now all that she needed to complete her look was her dress. Walking to her closet, she pulled out the dress she and Temari had bought earlier today still in the dress bag. It was a black strapless knotted cocktail dress by Jasmine Di Milo. It was simple but formal in all-in-one. She slipped it on and smiled at herself in the mirror.

"I can actually say that I might turn a few heads tonight." Sakura fixed and smoothed out the dress and then put on her strappy black heels. After she made a few more finishing touches, she grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

**o0o0o**

The smoke filled atmosphere was beginning to become unnaturally familiar to the red head and he slammed his shot glass down on the bar, demanding another shot. The bartender knew him by name now these days and often gave Gaara shots for free when the bar wasn't hectic.

"Want to switch it up a bit? Got some real strong stuff in the back." The husky bartender asked with a grin as he was drying out the inside of a few glasses that were located at the sink drying.

He shrugged and rubbed a hand through his hair. "Why not." Gaara was beyond furious, but was slowly calming with the effects of the alcohol. Kankuro had set him off and Temari had made it worse as she mentioned Sakura had a date for tonight. Had she really moved on? He glared at the wood on the bar and then sighed. Why wouldn't she. He was the one who threw her away like she was nothing. I don't blame her if she had... But just the thought of another man having her for their self made his anger boil back up. A shot glass was placed in front of him and he looked up at the man.

"Something bothering you? You look a bit shaken'." The bartender chuckled deeply and went back to his cleaning as he awaited a reply.

Gaara again gave another shrug and downed the drink. It was strong and probably would have knocked him out of the bar stool if he wasn't already half way to being drunk. "I better call it a night..." He needed to get to that damned business party. He needed to see Sakura just one more time.

Slamming the glass down once more, he grabbed his jacket and exited the bar doors in less than ten seconds.

* * *

Yet another Chapter! I will try to get more uploaded a swiftly as possibly! (busy, busy schedule for the holiday!)

Also, I want to thank my only two reviewers! miikodesu and Cindy Medeiros. Every little bit pushes me forward!

always:


	5. Chapter 5

**Love Remains**

Chapter Five

(I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.)

* * *

Upon entering the crowded business party, his viridian eyes immediately began searching for the vibrant color of pink he so longed to see. After a few more moments of looking and casually walking through the building, he found himself to be very disappointed. _She isn't here._

He wasn't surprised though. She hated coming to these things as much as he did. Sakura most likely backed out of coming. Gaara felt an odd hurt to not see her, but the sudden rush of relief of not seeing her with another man over powered his former feeling.

He stuck around for about a half an hour at the overly extravagant bar, avoiding his siblings and his sister's fiancé, and had a couple of drinks to wash down any hopes he had seen of his former love. Gaara had already been drinking and he knew that surely after a few more, he might as well be drunk.

He emptied his fourth shot of Kelt Cognac and let his eyes roam to see if she had yet arrived. But instead of meeting her bizarre color of hair and her emerald green eyes, he was challenged by the many high class personals that were prancing about, most likely boasting about their latest achievement in the business realm. They stared at him and whispered to one another and it made his eyes shine with anger. Thankfully, when they caught his glare, they didn't dare look back.

Giving up on waiting, he slammed down the empty glass of his sixth shot down and grabbed his belongings. As he stood, he really took notice of the effects of the alcohol and had to grab the counter to keep from falling over. Making his way the best he could to the exit, he froze where he stood. He was half way to making his swift escape and there she stood in the door way.

She looked as beautiful as ever; possible more than he had imagined over the years. The black of the dress made her slightly tanned skin seem so porcelain, but it seemed to suit her in the dim light. Nearly as though she was glowing. He noted she was wearing makeup, something she didn't normally do, but for the event, it went along well with her outfit and her lovely pink hair that was done up in a nonchalantly way. His heart was bound to beat right out of his chest, but he decided to go ahead and break the ice. He made his way forward towards her.

Almost within her sight, he halted once more as a male figure cut in front of him and made his way to the beautiful woman of his past. _So this was Sakura's date. She came to his gathering and she had a date? _The world was out to get him.

**o0o0o**

Sakura's heart was fluttering like the wings of a humming bird as she stepped through the abnormally large but elegantly carved doors. The atmosphere had suddenly gotten warmer and she fanned herself with her hand like it would help. She searched for her date and caught him as he suddenly entered her gaze from the left.

He was certainly handsome and just like Temari described. Sakura was nowhere for blind dates, but she also didn't want to be without one; especially in a place such as this. Temari told her he was very nice and he was a good friend of Shikamaru so he was more than bound to know the ropes of one of these cliché gatherings. And boy, he was something to look at. Tall, looked to be 6' 4". He had a very nice skin tone being very well tanned. He had silken raven colored hair and stunning onyx eyes, but what called out to her the most, was his dazzling smile.

She had never seen such a near perfect man since...

"Don't you look lovely Ms. Haruno?" He took her hand and kissed it delicately.

But as he bent though, her vibrant eyes caught a small glance of crimson red and the backside of Gaara's retreating form. Her eyes widened and she broke from her date's grasp to follow after him but stopped after she was a few feet away. _He left me. He doesn't want me. Why should I surrender my happiness to go after him after all he put me through? _She felt like crying until a warm hand on her shoulder jerked her from her thoughts. _I'm probably seeing things anyway..._ She turned around and forced a smile to make its way on her features.

"Are you okay, Sakura?" His eyes were filled with concern and confusion. "I don't have to be your date..."

"Oh, no, no." She shook her head and exhaled a shaky breath. "I just thought I had seen someone... I hadn't seen in quite a while..." She laughed quietly and took the dark haired man's hand and led him towards where Temari and Shikamaru were sitting. As they crossed the floor, she looked up to her date and smiled, but laughed yet again when she realized she had not learned his name. "Uh... I hate to have to ask, but Temari didn't happen to tell me your name..." Her cheeks flared a flush pink with embarrassment and she quickly looked down.

He chuckled in his deep masculine tone and pulled her closer. "Sasuke."

**o0o0o**

Gaara fumed with anger. She came alright, but that man ruined everything. All the red-head wanted to do the moment he cut him off was to grab his raven locks and slam him to the ground. Instead, he settled with punching the wall closest to him which caused quite a commotion within the building. He fled the moment he could and went straight back to the hotel. It was the only place he felt he was safe from the eyes of others.

He slammed the door closed and stomped to his bedroom. He slammed his fist into the wall once more and kicked a few things lying on his floor to the other side of the room. He was so mad and half way to being drunk, that he didn't know what to do to control himself. After an hour of completely destroying his room, he slung himself into his bed.

"Who am I kidding?" He asked solemnly to the wall he was glaring at. "I screwed everything up..." _With no possible way to fix it..._

He gave a vented yell into his pillow and closed his eyes tight. Sleep was the only thing to get rid of everything. And surely enough, his breathing slowed and he finally lulled himself into a deep, nightmare filled sleep.

**o0o0o**

She had been sitting at Temari's table for about an hour now and not too much had happened. The four held a steady line of conversations, but Sakura found herself looking the large ball room over for his familiar crimson hair. Here she was, with two of her best friends and easily the most attractive man in the room as her date and all she could think about was Gaara. Sakura knew he wasn't here any longer, or maybe never had been there, but something deep inside her wished he would step out from behind a wall and sweep her off her feet.

"Sakura? Are you spacing out on us? You know that is not healthy!" Temari laughed quite loudly and Sakura swatted her arm playfully.

"No. I just feel a bit tired. I had a... eventful day..." She returned the laugh, though not as loud as her friend's had been and gave Sasuke a polite smile. "Care to dance?"

She could evidently see that he was surprised by her advance, but didn't in the least bit hesitate in accepting her offer as he stole her away to the lengthy area for the couples to dance. The music was low and obviously a classical tune making it the perfect match for a romantic yet elegant evening those that had attended and she almost regretted asking him, but as Gaara entered her mind more and more, that box disappeared all together and there was nothing pushing him back. Nothing but her surprisingly handsome date and a dance surrounded by the slow music would surely ease her mind.

"I was just about to ask you if you wanted to dance but you beat me to the punch!" He chuckled and pulled her close. Closer than he had before.

She placed her left hand on his shoulder while he held her right casually. "I had to get up and move around, the alcohol was beginning to take its toll on me..." She confessed with a small smile and laid her head on his chest as to not have to look up at him any longer. He was definitely someone she wouldn't mind dating, or evening seeing for one night, but he wasn't the man she wanted to be looking at the moment.

She could hear the rumbled in his chest as he laughed and felt him rest his chin on the top of her head. "You know moving only makes it worse right?"

"I know." She said it like it was nothing, but in truth, she wanted to succumb to the drunkenness. It would make the night go by a lot quicker and with little thought at all.

His eyebrow rose slightly but he said nothing. He didn't need to let her know what he was thinking on her comment. If any man were told that by their date, it would be almost positive that provocative thoughts would enter their mind. The more they spun, the more she felt as though she was losing her hold on control, little by little and by the time the song ended, she was giggly.

"Dear Sakura, would you like to go sit. Have a few more drinks?" His smile was handsomely devilish and she complied with a laugh and a non-hesitant nod.

When they arrived to the table they were previously sitting at, which was now empty, she looked around for her friends. Relief washed over her as she spotted them about ten feet away, chatting with a few business men, and she picked up the drink menu. "I want to try something new!" She usually drank only the fruity drinks or cocktails with low percentile of alcohol, but tonight, she felt daring.

Watching Sasuke smirk only fueled the fire. She heard him order two Long Island Iced Teas and she laughed loudly. Sakura was absolutely making herself look like a fool tonight, but she didn't care. She couldn't make herself care if she wanted to. Their drinks were delivered in what seemed like less than a minute and Sasuke handed her drink.

"You wanted something strong, so here you go." He chuckled and sipped on his as he watched her closely. She was sure he had been drinking as much as her, if not more, and he seemed to be unaffected. Then again, she wasn't entirely thinking straight. Could just be her mind playing tricks on her. She took no time in sipping and instead, chugged half the drink. It was strong. Nearly knocked her off the seat she was sitting in, but only made her laugh more.

"Mmmm... This is great!" She chocked down the other half of her drink and slammed the glass down on the table. "Another, please!" Her body felt like it was on fire and her cheeks were flushed a pink color, visibly showing over her light coat of make-up, but it felt amazing to her. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.

"We'll have another round over here!" He waved to the waitress he had been ordering their drinks from and turned his sly smile back to the pink haired beauty before him. But before he could get another word out to her, Temari and Shikamaru had plopped back down in their seats.

"This sure is some business gathering. Sorry for telling you it would be a small one Sakura!" Temari laughed but when she got a good look at her friend, she frowned a bit. She was sure she could trusted her fiancé's judgment on this Sasuke character, but now, seeing Sakura like this, she wasn't so sure. Sakura could very well hold her liquor and rarely got drunk. This might be heading in the wrong direction.

Sakura would be lolling all over the nice floor if it weren't for her date and she was currently sitting in his lap, her arms wrapped around his neck as a sort of prop. From this position, she could smell his scent. It was musky, like sandalwood and whatever masculine cologne he had on.

It smelt like Gaara.

In that exact moment, tears were pouring down her face and she clung closer to him.

"Sakura. Are you alright?" He held her tight and looked to Shikamaru. "I think she is crying." His comment was confirmed as she started shaking and sobbing more loudly.

She felt ridiculous. She was crying at a large and elegant business party and it was all over one man. "Gaara, please come back!" She let go of the raven haired male and dropped to the floor. Her crying becoming hysteric and she felt a pair of arms pick her up.

"Sasuke. I am sorry. But I think we should leave. Do you mind carrying her to our car?" Temari looked at him with begging eyes and then looked to her friend. She somehow knew Sakura hadn't forgotten her brother, but she also wished she would have. Sakura didn't need to go through what she had again. Temari gave a peck on the lips to her fiancé, stood and went to Sakura's side. "I will wait on you at the car. I better stay out there with her."

He nodded and also stood to go say his goodbyes. "I won't be long." He then proceeded to a group of co workers.

Temari grabbed a bottle of water from the bar and then headed out the exit with Sasuke in tow.

"So... Who is this Gaara?" Sasuke had been curious for some time because she had called him that name once tonight already, but he had thought it to be a mistake due to the alcohol. Now that she was crying over this said person, he had to know. He was so intrigued by this pinkette.

Temari gave a sigh and brushed a few strands of Sakura's hair out of her face. She had already passed out before they got out the doors and was snoring slightly. "He is my brother... and Sakura's ex fiancé..."

Nothing else was said between the two and she was thankful for the silence. Temari had to chew over a few things before she made any rash decisions. She had seen how tore up Gaara was and is over what had happened. Although she felt sorry for her brother, she knew that it was his fault for the way things turned out.

But Sakura, she was still suffering inside and clearly still had feelings for him.

They both were made for each other.

_So what now... Do I take her to her house? No... She won't be able to fend for herself. She may not even be able to get to work the next day. But if I take her to the hotel, things could either turn out really good or really bad... _Her thoughts had to come to a halt as they finally reached the car.

"Thank you so much Sasuke. And it was good to meet a friend of my fiancé. I hope to see you at the wedding!" Temari's voice was especially cheerful at thoughts of her upcoming wedding, but her smile faltered as she watched Sasuke laid Sakura softly in the back seat and then lean in and kiss her forehead. _Kami Sakura... You are too beautiful for your own good... _

Temari watched him lean back up and then gave him another smile.

"I will most certainly be there if that is my invitation." He chuckled and stuck out his hand.

She grasped it and gave it a firm shake. "In that case, see you in a few months!" After a few parting words, Sasuke had turned to go to his own car and Temari got in the passenger seat awaiting Shikamaru. Her fiancé had impeccable timing however, and she was in the car for a minute before he walked out the doors.

"Where too?" He asked as he started up his charcoal colored Mercedes Benz.

"The hotel..." She was hesitant, but she was sure it was the right thing to do.

* * *

Sorry my fellow readers about the long wait! But here you go! :D

always:


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